It’s not about you. There, I’ve said it. And it really needed to be said, just as you really needed to hear it. So deal with it. Breathe it in and hold it for a few seconds. Exhale slowly so as not to get light headed. Meditate on it for a while.
Repeat it to yourself — “it’s not about me, it’s not about me, it’s not about me” — until it starts to echo between your ears. After a while you should emerge from your trance with the sneaking suspicion that maybe, just maybe, it’s not about you after all — despite what you’ve been told since the day you were born by your parents, the media, and yourself.
Get out of your own head for a while and walk around. Try to see things from other perspectives. Be open. Most importantly, be honest.
Because as unique as we are as individuals, our ability to survive, evolve and enjoy life in the 21 st century will depend on our ability to get along with each other and to adapt to change. It’s not about you or me, anymore, if it ever really was — it’s about “us”.
This is the century where we have to start thinking and living collectively again as our distant ancestors once did. We have no alternative.
For one thing, the global population is growing. The population of Greater Vancouver is supposed to double over the next 20 years. Sea to Sky could see its population double or even triple by 2025, depending on what growth forecast you believe.
Whistler is also growing. New hotels and commercial operations have increased the need for part-time and resident staff, and new “weekender” housing projects increase the need for services. New hotel and housing projects are under construction as we speak, and several new developments both inside and outside our boundaries are at various stages of approval.
From what I’ve seen this growth in population is creating a lot of stress for people who have been in this community for a while — including myself. We don’t like the longer lift lines, or being forced to line up for an hour or more at various lifts to get first tracks on certain runs. The people booing and abusing lifties and patrollers are usually locals venting their general frustration with the fact that recreational skiing and snowboarding in Whistler has become a competitive sport. There could be 30 centimetres of new snow on the ground, but the people in those lift lines are still unhappy.
I see the same frustration on the highway, in parking lots, in stores, on the trails. Every time you turn around it seems like there’s somebody there, usually in your way. When that happens it’s easy to feel like the universe is conspiring against you. Of course it’s not the person’s fault, and they have every right to be there, but we’re not predisposed to think in those terms.
Unless, of course you recall the “it’s not about you” mantra. The person driving the speed limit in front of you on Highway 99 is not doing it to make you late or angry. The police officer that turns you back at Squamish because you don’t have snow tires or chains is only doing what’s best for everybody, even if you can’t see it for yourself.
This population stress is even worse in the city. I grew up in Toronto, but don’t remember sidewalks and buses being as crowded as they are now. And Vancouver is already a nightmare to drive in with the current population — so what’s it going to be like in 20 years? It’s no wonder people are pissed off all the time.
Naturally we wouldn’t have many of these issues if we took the idea of sustainability seriously. I know previous generations did, and were overruled.
I once asked my mom why my parents had just two kids, and why most of my friends growing up were part of two child families. She told me that it was because people in the 1960s and 1970s were very concerned about the growing population of the planet and environment, and decided it was unfair for future generations to have more than two children.
The result was that Canada had a negative population growth rate, as not all of the children born to two-child families would go on to have two children of their own. To remedy this Canada increased immigration to ensure the country continued to grow.
Personally, I’m all in favour of diversity and believe it strengthens us, but I’m less convinced that we need to keep growing our population to achieve economic growth. I feel the same for the world at large, although for some reason experts on the world’s biggest issues are generally reluctant to point out that overpopulation is a contributing factor to pretty much every major issue impacting the planet, from poverty, to water shortages, to global warming, to the loss of species and biodiversity.
Sooner or later we’re going to have to start thinking about shrinking our numbers, if only to create a little more elbow room. Just think how much more crowded it’s going to be when people move inland as the polar ice caps melt and the sea level rises.
In the meantime, when I’m making buying decisions, planning my life, or just lining up for the Peak Chair, I find it helpful to remind myself that it’s not about me. Believe me, it helps.
